Blairs may complain over Euan 'rowdiness' coverage

Tony and Cherie Blair are considering whether to mount a formal complaint against newspapers which reported the alleged holiday antics of their eldest son, Euan.

Tony and Cherie Blair are considering whether to mount a formal complaint against newspapers which reported the alleged holiday antics of their eldest son, Euan.

The claims of rowdy behaviour by Euan, 16, and two friends at an Italian hotel after a night out, were "completely untrue", Downing Street said.

No 10 was backed up by Nigel and Anah Ruddin - the parents of one of the other British youngsters involved - who insisted that the reports of larking around in the hotel corridors in the early hours of the morning were "totally false".

Downing Street conceded that one guest, who was having difficulty sleeping, had complained that Euan and his friends had been talking loudly when they returned to the hotel at about 4am or 5am.

When they were approached by a member of staff, who asked them to lower their voices, they immediately apologised and went straight to bed.

However, a spokesman said that was "a world away" from reports that they had been running up and down the hotel corridors making a noise.

The Blairs, who are now on the second leg of their holiday in France, are not expected to make a final decision on whether to complain to the Press Complaints Commission - the newspaper industry's self-regulatory body - until they return home in two weeks.

Downing Street sources emphasised that the Blairs would be considering all the media coverage over the next few days before reaching a decision.

They have been fiercely protective of their children's privacy in the past, but Mr Blair may be reluctant to antagonise so many newspapers with a general election likely next year.

Relations between the media and No 10 were already strained after many papers ran pictures of the christening of the Blairs' baby, Leo, last month despite a plea from Downing Street that it was a private occasion.